Dog waste is a pollutant and contains harmful bacteria. If not collected responsibly, dog waste kills the nearby vegetation, and the bacteria from the waste can contaminate the groundwater and nearby bodies of water.
Many people do not clean up their dog's waste, especially when walking their dog, largely because the available tools for picking up and transporting the waste are unpleasant to use. The most common approach requires the dog owner to place a plastic bag over their hand and then cradle the dog waste in their hand while picking it up. The warmth and texture of the waste is difficult for most people to become accustomed to, and a tiny hole in the bag can allow a passage way for bacteria.
Dog waste that is disposed within small plastic bags is typically transported to a landfill where it becomes preserved for perhaps hundreds of years. Several cities and waste management companies are currently exploring alternative approaches for eliminating dog waste without transporting it to a landfill. The medium for which the dog waste is collected is an important component to solving this problem.